1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to automobile air conditioners and more specifically to a method and system for retrofitting automobile air conditioners to make them less environmentally dangerous.
2. Description of the Related Art
Up until recently, automobile air conditioners were provided with Refrigerant-12, or R-12, as their primary refrigerant. Lubrication for the air conditioner was provided by what may be termed R-12 lubricant. It has been discovered that R-12 is a environmentally dangerous material, because when it is released into the atmosphere, R-12 has deleterious effects on the Earth""s ozone layer. A substitute refrigerant, R-134a, has been developed and is being used in modern automobile air conditioners. R-134a requires its own lubricant.
Older automobiles must be retrofit from using R-12 to using R-134a. Previously, retrofitting involved opening the air conditioning system, an otherwise closed system, prior to adding R-134a and its associated lubricant. A mechanical oil injector has typically been employed. This increases the chances of dangerous and toxic chemicals (i.e., R-12 and its lubricant, and R-134a and its lubricant) from spilling and/or leaking into the ambient air.
Conventionally, it has been known to add small amounts of R-134a lubricant to an air conditioner. Typically, aerosol of oil charges are provided which add no more than 2 ounces of R-134a lubricant into an air conditioner. However, the typical automobile air conditioner requires up to 8 ounces of lubricant to be fully charged and functional. Such a 2 ounce charge is only suitable for xe2x80x9ctopping offxe2x80x9d an air conditioner with a reduced level of R-134a or oil, and is not suitable for a complete retrofit of an R-12 system. Moreover, once the lubricant is added, R-134a must also be added in a separate step or steps. Typically, a separate attachment is required to connect the container of R-134a to the air conditioning system. This method is inconvenient and slow.
There is a long-felt need to provide a method and kit for retrofitting an R-12 air conditioner for R-134a in fewer steps than is currently available.
It is an object of the invention to provide a method and kit for retrofitting an R-12 air conditioner for R-134a in than is conventionally available.
It is another object of the invention to provide an R-12 to R-134a retrofit kit that can retrofit an air conditioner with a single charging device.
It is another object of the invention to provide an R-12 to R-134a retrofit kit that is simple to use.
It is another object of the invention to provide an air conditioner retrofit kit that is safe for the environment.
The above and other objects are accomplished by the invention which includes a kit for retrofitting an R-12 air conditioner into an R-134a air conditioner. In one embodiment, the kit includes a first pressurized container of R-134a lubricant or oil sufficient to fully charge an automobile air conditioner. Preferably, the first container delivers 8 ozs. of R-134a lubricant. Preferably, the first container also contains pressurized refrigerant 134a to act as a propellant to deliver the oil in aerosol form. A second pressurized container may also be provided containing a full charge of R-134a for an auto air conditioner. Preferably, the inventive kit includes a service port adapter, configured to be convertible to the service port of an automobile air conditioner wherein both the first and second containers may be hooked up to the auto air conditioner via the same service port adapter.
The inventive kit has several advantages over conventional systems. First, by providing a full charge of oil in an aerosol form in one container, a user may retrofit an R-12 system into an R-134a system more easily than by using a mechanical oil injector. Second, by using R-134a itself as the aerosol propellant for the oil, the invention adds some refrigerant to the air conditioner while the air conditioner is being retrofitted to use R-134a, thereby saving time and refrigerant. Third, by providing a service port adapter that can accommodate both the first container of oil and the second container of R-134a, retrofitting is accomplished in simpler steps using fewer parts, i.e., separate connectors for the oil and R-134a containers are obviated. Retrofitting is thus made less expensive owing to the need for fewer parts and is made more convenient.
The invention also includes a method for retrofitting an automobile air conditioner. A service port adapter is attached to the service port of the air conditioner. A first container of lubricant in aerosol form propelled by R-134a is connected to the service port adapter via a connector hose. A valve provided on the connector hose is opened, and a full charge of oil is propelled into the air conditioner along with a quantity of R-134a. There are provided the steps of connecting a second container filled with R-134a to the same connector hose, opening the valve, and filling the air conditioner with the R-134a.